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Andy Barclay will be forever haunted by his childhood experiences at the hands of the infamous 80s ‘Good Guys’ doll Chucky. He’s the foundation on which writer/director Don Mancini has built and sustained a horror franchise. The shotgun blasted head from the end of 2013’s Curse Of Chucky is a trophy in Andy’s safe keeping, but this bodyless, supernatural form of serial killer Charles Lee Ray now taunts our hapless hero by refusing to die. Meanwhile wheelchair bound Nica (Fiona Dourif) who survived the same movie from four years ago is banged up for Chucky’s crimes and is surprised to learn she is being moved to a medium security facility. Here she is cross-examined in group therapy about her belief that the doll did the crimes not her. Dr Foley who leads the session confronts her with a Chucky replica and soon after multiple deaths, designed to compound Nica’s murderous guilt, begin to mount up.

The look and feel of Cult Of Chucky gives the film a dreamy quality. For the seventh in his series, Mancini has gone big on stark white walls and floors, and dressed all the characters in muted greys. Storywise, it cocks a snook to existing rules and logic of the franchise to deliver a very new spin on the Child’s Play experience. Jennifer Tilly is a hoot and when we are first re-introduced to her, she is wearing a bright red coat. Now you really do notice the monochrome choices in every other aspect of the film. Other flashes of red are added to good effect to denote who is bad and who is good. Fiona gets to channel her dad Brad Dourif (the voice of Chucky) and if you dwell too long on that meta-aspect, her actions and dialogue in character could be a case study for Freud.

Cult Of Chucky is a fun ride with the expected litany of gruff one-liners from the diminutive killer, brutal deaths and conceptually a couple of big surprises that stray from the existing formula. It’s unlikely to make you a Chucky convert, but is arguably the best in the series since the 1988 original.

DEATH NOTE

Dir. Adam Wingard

Wr. Charley Parlapnides & Vlas Parlapnides and Jeremy Slater.

Since he popped his Frightfest cherry with 2011’s Discovery Screen hit ‘A Horrible Way To Die’ the prolific Adam Wingard has fast become a regular fixture here. Death Note is his fourth feature film (his other two are You’re Next, 2013 and The Guest, 2014) to grace the festival. It’s a live adaptation of a Manga comic by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata.

Nat Wolff (The Fault In Our Stars, 2014) is Light Turner - a typical outsider, at a typical USA high school, where bullies rule and introverts keep their heads down. Respite arrives in the shape of fellow awkward youth Mia Sutton (Margaret Qualley, Nice Guys, 2015). One stormy, shitty day the ‘Death Note’ book comes into Light’s possession and so does the demonic figure of Riuk. The deal is simple, write the victim’s name in the book, imagine their face and describe how they should die. He shares his fantastic secret with Mia and together they use the book to rid the world of evil. As the saying goes: ‘with great power comes great responsibility’. Not something Light and Mia are really prepared for. The fast rising death toll is attributed to Light’s made up deity – Kira. This development attracts the attention of super sleuth L who sees through the Kira fiction and closes in on the main suspect - Light. The thrill of purging society of all its ills turns to the fear of being caught for mass murder – 100s have already died. “We’re not the good guys anymore,” decries Light at one point.

Willem Dafoe is wonderfully mischievous as Riuk. Get Out’s Lakeith Standfield is intense and measured in his seemingly obtuse search for truth and justice as the character of L.

Wingard’s takes full advantage of the bigger budget afforded him with grander, spectacular FX driven set pieces like a buckling ferris wheel at the end of pier. However, one of the most enjoyable cinematic moments is perhaps one of the most intimate. L’s interrogation-cum-initial confrontation of Light in a blue neon lit diner starts off wide and considered, but as the intensity ratchets up and the conflict reaches its peak Wingard assaults your senses with close up after close up of the two characters’ faces.

Musically, Wingard always makes interesting choices for his films. The Guest soundtrack felt like a replay of an old mixtape he loved. Chicago’s I Don’t Wanna Live Without Your Love and Jennifer Rush’s Power Of Love are highlights to note in this film.

Like W. W. Jacobs classic short story ‘The Monkey’s Paw’, Death Note revels in unpicking the cautionary tale of how quickly wish fulfilment can get out of control or how best intentions for the world should never be at the subjective whim of one person – least of all love struck teenagers.

DIANE

Dir. Michael Mongillo

Wr. Michael Mongillo (adapted from Matt Giannini’s source material)

Steve is a pensioned off army veteran earning pin money fixing electric generators. Returning from a day in the workshop, he makes the shocking discovery of a beautiful singer – Diane - lying dead in his backyard. Weirdly, he photographs the fresh corpse before alerting the authorities. He walks with a stick and keeps himself to himself. This enigmatic loner lifestyle is enough for him to be prime suspect in the police and neighbour’s eyes, but there’s zero evidence to arrest him on. All the while Steve obsesses a little bit too much over the photo he took of Diane and becomes haunted by the memory of this dead stranger he happened upon on his property. He becomes increasingly isolated by strange visions of a love life with her too. It’s an unexpected left turn away from the traditional ‘who done it?’ narrative. Diane is less murder mystery, and more what’s preying on Steve’s mind?

Unbeknownst to the viewer, all this craziness is quite purposeful as director Michael Mongillo takes you on a journey to the truth via Steve’s madness. For example, the army vet inexplicably throws his walking cane away. It appears to be an empty gesture, but it stays with you as it is so odd. Later you’re nagging curiosity is rewarded with a satisfying reveal.

Mongillo’s skill has been to construct a screenplay that slowly releases the information he needs you to know, when you need to know it. As Steve begins to rationalise his feelings and confusion, the film brilliantly side steps all expectations by detouring into a tragic non-linear, fractured story akin to Jacob’s Ladder meets Memento.

Diane is a warning that the demons haunting us are unlikely to be supernatural, but ones we create through the memories we suppress.

Michael Mongillo talks about DIANE on the Britflickd FrightFest Podcast